Tour Confidential: Thrilling Olympics finish, winners and disappointments
Scottie Scheffler, Tommy Fleetwood and Hideki Matsuyama pose with their Olympic medals.

The men’s Olympics Golf competition was a thriller.

Andrew Redington/Getty Images

Check in every week for the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors as they break down the hottest topics in the sport, and join the conversation by tweeting us at @golf_com. This week we look back at the thrilling men’s Olympic Golf competition, the biggest winners and disappointments, and look ahead to the women’s competition.

1. Scottie Scheffler shot a blistering final-round 62 to win gold at the Olympics, beating Tommy Fleetwood (silver) by one and Hideki Matsuyama (bronze) by two. A ton of stars were in the mix on Sunday, and Fleetwood even had a chance to force a playoff for gold but failed to birdie the 18th. Where does this finish rank among the best Sundays on Tour this season?

Josh Sens, senior writer (@joshsens): I’ll give Olympic Sunday the silver. That was riveting stuff from Scheffler against a first-rate group of contenders, but when you combine the prestige of the event, the quality of the course and the drama of the finish, the U.S. Open still gets the gold for the season.

Jack Hirsh, assistant editor (@JR_HIRSHey): I agree, this was by far one of the best finishes in terms of excitement for the season. I’ll rank both the U.S. Open and the Players Championship ahead of it just because it felt like by the time Fleetwood got to 18 tee, we already knew Scheffler was going to win. Pinehurst and Sawgrass kept us on the edge of our seats just a tad bit longer.

Dylan Dethier, senior writer (@dylan_dethier): My colleagues are in the right ballpark here; Scheffler (very likely) had the title wrapped up by the time the final group teed off 18, so it lacked a photo finish. But I’m a massive fan of the Olympics and the novelty of the day — only one of these every four years! — appeals to me tremendously. The wild leaderboard swings were unpredictable and incredible. And consider that the four pre-tournament favorites (Scottie, Xander, Rory, Rahm), who are arguably the four best golfers in the world (though Bryson and Morikawa would like a word) were all very much in the mix for much of Sunday and this one’s tough to beat. Watching history in real time.

2. Jon Rahm shot four over on the back on Sunday (and finished four back of Scheffler), Fleetwood made a late bogey on 17, Rory McIlroy made a costly double and 54-hole co-leader Xander Schauffele shot 73 on Sunday. Who’s leaving the Olympics the most disappointed?

Sens: Part of me wants to say Schauffele because he had a rare chance to defend the gold. But it’s got to be Rahm, who could have put a sweet cap on what has been such a strange, sour season. That very poor final nine is sure to leave a bitter taste.